This report provided details of a proposal to redesignate Rivermead School from a Hospital School to a Community Special School catering for statemented SEN pupils with complex needs aged 11-19.
The School currently provided education in three distinct ways: for children at the Medway Maritime Hospital; for children who needed home tuition as they were too ill to attend school and for children attending the school site at Forge Lane, Gillingham.
The report noted that some informal discussions had taken place with the school’s Headteacher and Governing Body and that they were fully supportive of the proposals.
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Decision number: |
Decision: |
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84/2010 |
The Cabinet authorised officers to proceed with an initial informal consultation period to allow views to be expressed on the proposal to make a prescribed alteration to Rivermead School from a Hospital School to a Community Special School catering for statemented SEN children with complex needs aged 11-19 on 1 September 2011. |
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Reasons:
To minimise the following risks:
· a risk to the future viability of Rivermead school if redesignation does not take place · a risk that it could undermine the Council’s need to ensure the most effective use of resources, and in turn raise standards across all schools.
The proposal is in line with the Medway vision as stated in ‘Special Educational Needs – An inclusive policy and strategy for Medway 2009-2014’, which is consistent with the Every Child Matters framework and flows from the Medway Children and Young People’s Plan.
The policy states the fundamental principles for SEN in Medway to be: · a child with special educational needs should have their needs met · the special educational needs of most children will normally be met in a mainstream school · children’s needs will be met in an appropriate provision · the views of the child should be sought and taken into account · parents/carers have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education, and · children with special educational needs deserve full access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum with clear post-16 progression routes and options.
Without the restrictions its current designation as a hospital school places upon it, the proposal would enable Rivermead school to embrace these principles, which it is expected will improve the outcomes for the young people who subsequently attend the school.
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